Following the life story of David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me is part autobiography, part self-help book. Goggins lays everything out in this book: the abuse he faced in his childhood, his struggles with self-doubt and weakness, and how he turned his life around by reprogramming his thinking and building extreme mental toughness, bringing him from an overweight exterminator to the Navy Seals, and then into an ultramarathon runner. Goggins has gone from terrible lows in his life, to claiming incredible achievements that very few people are able to reach, making this book so motivational due to how it shows you what is possible.
But, as Goggins says, motivation gets you nowhere. His work is about holding yourself accountable and not making the excuses that the rest of the population makes. His message is to get rid of your victim mentality and get it done; to push yourself past the point of ‘pushing yourself.’ But there’s more to this book than that, especially in his stories of his childhood. To really get the most out of this book, you need to read it. The audiobook also has extra additions by Goggins where he discusses the book and adds more, which I recommend.
Opening line: “Do you know who you really are and what you’re capable of?”
Favorite line: “I don’t stop when I’m tired. I stop when I’m done.”
Why I like it: David Goggins’ philosophy is raw, tough, and shaves down the complexities and excuses of life to a simple message: Get disciplined, and get it done. His life has been hard, yet he managed to pull himself up through sheer hard work. His message spoke to me, and I think this book highlights the almost unimaginable resilience we have within ourselves, and how we can tap into that at any moment, no matter how low we are in life, as long as we truly have the will to do it.